Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. Visiting the blessed house of Allah (Ka'ba) and performing Hajj is the desire of every Muslim. Ka'ba is like a magnet which draws the hearts of the believers from different parts of the world. Every Muslim longs for the day when he or she will have the opportunity to visit the ka'ba in Makkah and the Green Dome (Gumband-e-Khizra) in Madinah. Every year, from different corners of the world, Muslims gather in these holy cities for performing different rituals and get spiritually charged. Responding to the call of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), millions of people from all parts of the globe offer Hajj with a great enthusiasm and that has made Hajj the biggest annual religious gathering in the world.

The Hajj is seen as a chance to transform the lives of the believers. It is reported that the Prophet of Islam (SAW) said, "Whoever performs Hajj for Allah's pleasure, and has neither had sexual relations nor has committed any sin, then he will return (as purified of all sins) as his mother gave him birth."
In another hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said, "The accepted Hajj has no reward except the Garden of Paradise. "
Every year millions of people turn towards 'destination Mecca' and seek forgiveness of their sins. Dressed in a white uniform (Ihram) and proclaiming the greatness of Allah,
"Labbaik Allahumma labbaik, Labbaika la sharika laka labbaik, Innal-hamda wa-nimata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka."
(“I respond to Your call O Allah! I respond to Your call. You have no partner. I respond to Your call. All praise, thanks and blessings are for You. All sovereignty is for You. And You have no partners with You")
This year a significant number of Hajj pilgrims are going from J&K to visit Saudi Arabia for the Hajj with a great devotion and enthusiasm. According to the officials, the data indicates a continuing downward trend in Hajj participation from J&K. A comparative analysis of applications submitted for Hajj 2024, 2025 and 2026 shows a marked decline across almost all districts. Trade leaders and economic observers attribute the drop to rising travel costs and broader economic distress in the region which is not a good indication. Another unfortunate trend seen in J&K is that people prefer Umrah over Haj without realizing that if they have enough resources, Haj is obligatory for them. Undoubtedly Umrah is a commendable act, but it cannot replace Haj in terms of its importance in Islamic Shariya. Thus, those who have adequate resources should go for Haj otherwise they will be sinful according to Quran and Sunnah.
Almost all the administrative arrangements have been finalized by Hajj Committee of India. Orientation programs are being held in every district for making this blessed journey as easier as possible.
The logistics and rituals of Hajj are often challenging but these difficulties can be minimized by getting a proper training . Most of the rituals or manasik of the Hajj are practical rather than theoretical. To provide an effective support to the Hajj pilgrims, the Haj Committee of India takes services of government officials in the form of Hajj Trainers and State Haj Inspectors. Comprehensive and effective training in logistics as well as rituals is most essential to enable the Hajis in performing Hajj pilgrimage with minimum difficulties. The system of training of Hajj Trainers consists of two stages. First, the trainers are trained by Hajj committee of India and then, the trainers are asked to organise training camps for the benefit of the selected Hajj pilgrims and this process takes place under the supervision of State/UT Hajj committees. It is compulsory for the intending Hajj pilgrims to attend these training programs in order to get a proper knowledge of the logistics and rituals of Haj.
State Haj Inspectors are selected through a written test followed by an interview by Hajj Committee of India who accompany the Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. State Haj Inspectors plays a very important and supportive role in aid of Hajj pilgrims at all the stages of Haj pilgrimage. Outside the country, they work as a connecing link between the pilgrims and Consulate General of India in Jeddah. The services of State Haj Inspectors need to be fully utilized in order to facilitate things to the Hajj pilgrims. Hence, it is the need of hour to give preference to those applicants who have themselves performed Hajj and have a practical experience of the logistics and rituals of Hajj. As per this year's selection process 50% of seats of State Haj Inspectors have been made open to all eligible applicants irrespective of whether they have performed Haj or Umrah which certainly is not a good move because Haj is all about practical experience and those without this experience can't guide 150 Haj pilgrims most of whom are unaware of the logistics and rituals of Haj. Moreover, it is very surprising that in other reserved categories only those have been made eligible who have performed Haj in the recent past i.e., in the last 5 years. Those who have performed Haj 5 years back have been completely neglected and they have been clubbed with those who have never performed Haj or Umrah at all.
In future, Haj Committee of India should take a serious note of these problems so that Haj pilgrims may not suffer.

Here are some useful instructions for the Hajj Pilgrims :

1.Since deeds depend upon intentions, a Hajj pilgrim should keep his intentions clean. The intention should be to attain the pleasure (Ridha) of Allah. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "Soon there will come a time when the rich will go on Hajj for enjoyment, the scholars to show off and the poor for begging."

2.Since to err is human, a Hajj pilgrim should repent of his past sins before embarking on this journey. Forgiveness should be soght from those whom he or she has offended. Hajj pilgrims should be highly thankful to their Lord for being selected for this blessed journey as it is the golden opportunity to get forgiveness and transform one's life.

3.A pilgrim should fully understand the rituals and logistics of Hajj from the scholars and Haj Trainers. Missing a 'Rukn' or pillar of the Hajj manasik (rituals)may invalidate the entire Hajj so one needs to be very careful.

4.Female Hajj pilgrims should get detailed jurisprudential knowledge from the competent scholars about their menstrual periods in relation to Hajj rituals before leaving.

5.Try to stay in the company of good and learned people as much as possible and always travel with the group. Avoid moving around unnecessarily.

6.Take care of your health. Make it a habit to eat less, drink less and sleep less during the Hajj. Eat simple and hygienic food. Eat plenty of fruits and take a lot of fluid so that you always remain hydrated.

7.Try to avoid direct contact with the Sun. You may get sun stroke and dehydration due to exposure to the direct sun light.

8.Take care of all your belongings especially the necessary documents like identity card, passport, visa, online booking receipt, boarding pass, vaccination certificate etc. Keep your cash and medicines safely.

9.Learn how to use elevators, escalators and English style toilets.

10.Avoid taking unnecessary selfies and try to focus on the spiritual aspect of Hajj.

11.In modern times the smart phones are extremely important as they not only keep you connected with the people but also guide you to track various locations associated with the Hajj.The applications like Google Maps can guide you almost everywhere. Make a judicious use of internet facility, keep checking out the official website of Hajj Committee of India for updates. Haj committee of India has made a highly useful App "Haj Suvidha " on which all the details of each pilgrim pertaining to stay in Makkah, Medina and Mina and flight details are made available. For SOS, there is an emergency button which connects the pilgrim with Indian Haj Mission in Saudi Arabia. All essential details regarding all the Hajj pilgrims of India are available on this App, hence it needs to be used for making things easier.
There is another application 'Nusuk' which is used to get entry into 'Riyadh-ul-Jannah' in Masjid Nabavi in Madinah.
In order to avail the facility of economical video and voice calling, the applications like IMO can be effectively used.

12.Be patient with all the difficulties that come in your way during this blessed journey and never resort to grumbling and complaining. Always keep in mind that you are the guest of Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).

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